Sparkling Bee
by Autobot Chromia
Summary: Found nearly offline, raised by the Autobot CO, Optimus Prime, and the Autobot CMO, Ratchet, Bumblebee makes his grand appearance as a sparkling on war-torn Cybertron, early in the wars. Used with permission from Morrigayn DeWyvern. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Found

Disclaimer : I do not own Transformers, nor do I own the idea of chestfeeding. I also do not own the Bumblebee/Ratchet/Optimus Prime adopted family relationship. The idea belongs to Morrigayn DeWyvern, who was kind enough to let me use her plot and ideas. If you do not understand something, her stories should explain it. Thank you.

**Units of Time**

**Cycle : Minute**

**Bleem : Hour**

**Vorn : Month**

**Orn : Day**

**Stellar Cycle : A group of years**

**Solar Cycle : A year**

**These are NOT exact units, nor do they equal exactly out human units of time. I only put what I make them to resemble. **

It was disgusting, to tell the truth. Smoke billowed up from the rubble of buildings, a small fire had broken out and was being put out. The offlined, cold, gray frames of Decepticons, Autobots, and Neutrals lay scattered about. Optimus Prime ventilated deeply, inspecting the damage. Fallen comrades, fallen enemies, the innocent slayed along side the guilty. It took everything in Optimus to keep him from shouting out to Primus, cursing their very Creators name.

"Prahm."a low voice said, calling the CO out of his daydream.

Optimus Prime nodded in acknoledgment to Ironhide. Ironhide vented.

"We-we didn't find any surviahs, sir."Ironhide said. "And there are many cashualties."

Optimus ventelated again. Before he could speak, an odd noise reached his audios. It was very small, faint, and weak. It was barely audible amongst the shouts of bots to one another as they tried to clear their dead and injured.

"Did you hear that?"Optimus asked the Weapons Specialist.

"Hear wha'?"

"Quiet."Optimus ordered, holding his hand up to silence him. "There it is again."

"I don' hear nothin'."Ironhide said.

"Quiet!"Optimus shouted, silencing everyone around him.

The small noise sounded again. A low murmur came from a few bots upon hearing it.

"I do hear somthin' now."Ironhide admitted.

"Hey, 'Hide!"a voice called out. "We need some help over here!"

"Comin'!"Ironhide called back, scuttling over the debris to get to where he had been called.

"Optimus!"the voice of a familiar medic called across the battlefield, again silencing everyone.

When the CMO called out in a voice that frantic, and he called the Autobot leader, everyone know that silence was a must. Optimus quickly ran to where the orange and white medic was.

"What is-"

Optimus stopped. That noise was right here, next to Ratchet. Ratchet was trying to lift a large piece of what appeared to be roof off of something. Off of someone. Optimus grabbed it and helped to toss it aside. The sight sickened him.

A mech of dark green armour lay on the splatters stained his grayed frame. Dark blue energon blood came from his servo and from where a long metal rod had stabbed him through his helm and into his processor. There was energon blood pooled around his pedes, and on something that lay between them. Optimus vented in shock. Ratchet's voice and the sparklings weak wails snapped him out of it.

Ratchet quickly bent down, scanning both crying sparkling and still mech.

"He's gone."Ratchet said, finishing his scan of the green mech. "And this one's going to join him if we don't get him out of here immediatly."

"A sparkling."Optimus said in shocked surprise.

"No, really?"Ratchet snapped, scooping up the blue and gray frame.

Neither bot could tell if it was blue from the energon blood, or if it was his natural colour. Ratchet shook his helm, knowing that he had no time to argue.

"Go, Ratchet."Optimus said."First Aid and the others will be able to handle the casualties here."

Ratchet grunted, but still had no time to argue. Ratchet opened his chest plates and slid the sparkling inside. The sparklings cries had quieted some, but it was shaking and whimpered weakly as Ratchet closed his chasis. He rushed across the battlefield, paying no heed to anybot that called out to him. He alerted a few bots who were back at base to prepare the med-bay, and get the smallest sizes of everything. He couldn't reach the base fast enough, but all too soon he burst through the med-bay doors.

"What's going on?" Perceptor asked. He may have been the resident scientist of the Autobots, but he also worked in the field of medicine when needed.

"Is everything ready?"Ratchet asked, rushing towards a berth.

"Yes, right here."Perceptor answered, motioning towards a tray of tools that lay beside a berth on a roling cart. "But why-"

"You glitch!"Ratchet shouted, smacking the cart. Tools sprayed about in every direction, clattering and banging as they landed. "I said small!"

"Smaller then what we use on the mini-bots?"Perceptor asked, perplexed.

"I said the smallest sizes and I fraggin' meant the smallest sizes!"Ratchet shouted. "Quickly!"

Perceptor rushed about, grabbing the smallest of everything he could find and tossed it on a new cart. The smallest syringes, needles, I.V's, anything and everything they needed. He rushed back to Ratchet, who had stood unusually still.

"Ratchet, will you please explain to me the situation? I am at a-Dear Primus!"Perceptor exclaimed as the CMO opened up his chasis and gently lay a half gray sparkling on the medical berth.

"We have no time to lose or waste."Ratchet said before barking orders and starting work on the sparkling.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Optimus Prime stared at the report in his hand, reading nothing. The words on the screen were not seen by his optics, as his processor saw the offlined mech and the half dead sparkling between his pedes. He drummed his fingers on the side of the desk, waiting for word from Ratchet on the sparkling's condition.

He worried for his chief medical officer. He had been going though some very troubling times. His bondmates, the Twins called Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, had sparked him vorns ago. Before he was quite due, the Twins had to be sent away to another part of Cybertron. They were the best frontliners in the Autobot army, and needed to be sent to protect the Neutrals on the other side of the planet. It had been hard for Optimus to do, but in the end it was the only way.

Soon after they left, Ratchet went into premature labour. Complication after complication set in until First Aid and Perceptor had been forced to do a cesarean section, or lose both CMO and sparkling. It had been far too late though, and had resulted in a stillbirth. Ratchet had been devestated over the lost of his newborn mech, and had not the spark to name him. A small grave rested just outside of the Autobot base, simply marked 'Sparkling'.

That had barely been twenty orns ago, and the emotional wound was still fresh. It had been harder still as the Twins were unable to return and offer each other comfort, but they had offered condolances to each other over webinars and bonds and comm. links.

Speaking of comm. links, Optimus' was ringing. He lifted a digit to it, and answered.

_"Optimus, it's Ratchet."came the voice over the internal comm. link._

_"Yes, Ratchet?"_

_"I have him stable."Ratchet answered. "You can...come if you'd like."_

_"I'm on my way." Optimus replied_

He shut off the comm. link, rose from his desk, and left the office. Ratchet was waiting for him in the med-bay. He took Optimus behind a curtain. In the middle of the cloth-walled room, sat a single sparkling incubator. The sparkling was laying on his stomach plating, tiny buds of doorwings sticking out of his back. His frame had been cleared of the energon blood, and proved to be a bright yellow.

"He's stable."Ratchet said, breaking the silence.

Optimus nodded. "You told that to me over the comm."

Ratchet didn't say anything. He looked at the tiny sparkling, more then likely premature.

"He-he took me."Ratchet almost whispered.

"What do you mean?"Optimus asked.

"My feeding, carrier protocals were still online. He activated the,."Ratchet replied, still quietly as in shock. "He took me as his Carrier."

"Is that a bad thing?"Optimus asked.

"No."Ratchet answered firmly. "It's a good thing, if he gets a Sire as well."

"The Twins are not here, and nobody else has feeding protocals online at this time."Optimus mused.

"Except you." Ratchet said in sudden realisation as he turned to the Prime.

"Me?"

"As Prime you all ways have them."Ratchet said."He needs a Sire of he will offline in his weakened state."

Optimus didn't know what to do. He gave a small nod of agreement, not knowing what else to do.

"Must it be established now?"Optimus asked.

"The sooner the better."Ratchet answered. "If you're ready..."

Optimus vented. "I do not have a choice."

Ratchet carefully lifted the top of the incubator. As he lifted the sparkling up, his optics unshuttered. Optimus had never seen such gentle, icy blue optics before. He churruped weakly as Ratchet held the yellow bot close to his chasis.

"Open up your chest, Optimus."Ratchet instructed.

The Prime opened up his red and blue chasis, revealing his two empty feeding bags that lay flat and limp, and his spark beneath it's chrystaline casing.

"Hold him close to your spark."Ratchet said. "Let him feel you, know that your there for him. Flare your EM fields over him, to comfort him."

Optimus nodded, gently taking the sparkling in his servos. He placed the sparkling inside his chasis and closed it. He felt the sparkling wriggle a bit, trying to get cloer to his spark. He flared his EM field as Ratchet had instructed, feeling the sparkling's own EM field as well. The yellow sparkling's EM field showed that he was afraid, scared, in pain, and hungry. As Optimus felt the last thing, he felt something click within him. He felt something warm begin to expand next to the sparkling. A tiny mouth lapped at him, and a sucking sound came from his closed chasis. Ratchet smiled a bit.

"Congratulations."Ratchet said."You're a Sire."

"He has accepted me?"Optimus asked.

"He's suckling from you as we speak."Ratchet replied. "Let him finish up, then I'll take him back."

Optimus nodded. It felt nice, having the small life attached to him. The suckling noise and feeling continued for quite some time, almost half a bleem. A wet 'pop' came from his chasis as the sparkling detached from the second feeding bag, followed by a squeaky yawn. Optimus opened his chasis and removed the sparkling, looking into it's half shuttered optics.

"Finished?"Ratchet asked, coming back in after fixing multiple bots.

Optimus nodded. "I believe he wishes to rest."

Ratchet took the sparkling and placed it back in the incubator. It was the best place for it at the time, a sterile, clean enviroment. The only time he really should come out was when he needed to refuel.

"You can leave if you want, Optimus."Ratchet said as he covered the tiny sparkling."I know you have things to do."

"Indeed."Optimus answered.

He pulled back the sheet to step out, but stopped and turned back.

"What is his name, Ratchet?"Optimus asked.

Ratchet didn't turn to face his leader. Ratchet's optics were glued to the yellow sparkling in deep thought.

"Bumblebee."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Bumblebee and Ratchet

"How does that feel?" Ratchet asked.

It had been a few days since the finding of Bumblebee. Not many bots knew of the sparkling's existance excpet for Optimus, Perceptor, First Aid, Ratchet, and a few others. Ratchet and Optimus would balance their time between the sparkling and their work. Ratchet and Optimus would swap each night, and then again in the morning so that each bot could get a good nights rest.

"Alot better."Mirage answered, moving his newly repaired servo around.

Ratchet nodded. "Stay here. I just need to scan you a bit. Once you leave, your orders are to rest and refuel for the rest of the orn."

"Sounds good, doc."Mirage said with a chuckle.

Before Ratchet could open the panel in his arms to scan the Special Ops soilder, an odd noise alerted both bots. Ratchet knew what it was, and quickly left Mirage's berthside and went to the other side of the med-bay. Mirage, on the other hand, had no idea what the keening noise was. Ratchet was soon making his way back.

"What was that?" Mirage asked.

Ratchet vented out. He slid open his chasis to show Mirage. Mirage quickly cast his optics down in respect. A bot usually only showed their spark to their mates or if they needed medical attention.

"I'm not showing you my spark if that's what your worried about."Ratchet groused. "Just look before he gets cold."

The mention of 'he' made Mirage look up involuntarily. He was shocked to see a tiny, yellow sparkling suckling from Ratchet's feeding bags.

"Who-who is he?"Mirage choked out.

"Bumblebee."Ratchet answered.

The sparkling pulled off of Ratchet with a wet, sticky sound. He turned his helm to look into the bright room. He squinted for a moment as his optics filtered out light. As the room became clear, Bumblebee was able to see the white and blue figure of Mirage. Mirage starred back at him in shock and surprise. Seeing that the white and blue mech wasn't doing anything, Bumblebee made a soft coo and turned back to his suckling. Ratchet reclosed his chasis.

"Where...how?"Mirage asked in shock.

Ratchet vented in irritation. "At the Neutral base that was destroyed. He is the sole survivor."

Mirage nodded. "Can I go now?"

"Yeah, get out of my med-bay."Ratchet ordered.

Mirage up and left as quickly as he could. Ratchet hated healthy bots in the med-bay. If you weren't bleeding to death, missing a limb, injured, or ill in any way then you had no right in the med-bay, in Ratchet's mind anyways.

With a silent vent, Ratchet lay down in one of the medical berths. It was easier for the sparkling to suckle from him if he was laying down. As he sat there, in the queit room, alone except for Bumblebee, it gave him time to think. He mainly thought about his own late sparkling.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Optimus Prime was walking towards the med-bay. He had to pick up medical reports from the last battle from Ratchet. Optimus stopped before the swinging doors as an odd noise floated through. It sounded like the clicking of a distressed mech. A distresses adult mech. Quietly, Optimus pushed open one of the swinging doors and entered. He was not prepared for what he saw.

Ratchet was still lying on the medical berth but now his chasis was wide open. The sparkling was clearly visible, and clearly in recharge. The one clicking with coolant coming from his optics was Ratchet. His optics were closed, so he had not seen the Prime enter. Optimus quietly went to the berthside and lay a hand on the medic's shoulder.

"Ratchet?"he asked softly.

Ratchet tensed up the moment he felt the Prime's hand. His leaking instantly stopped, as well as the clicking. The only way one could have told that he had been crying was the tell-tale, blue coolant drying on his white cheeks. He sat up quickly yet carefuly, as to not disturb the sparkling he had in his now closed chest plates. He brushed away the Prime's hand.

"Your reports are in my office."Ratchet said in a sharp, biting voice. It was amazing that, though sharp and rather demeaning, Ratchet's voice also showed no signs that he had been crying.

"The reports can wait."Optimus said in a firm and gentle tone. "Something is obviously bothering you, greatly."

"I'm fine."Ratchet groused, rummaging through a drawer in his desk.

Optimus placed a hand firmly on Ratchet's servo. "The reports can and will wait until you tell me what is bothering you."

"It's nothing, Optimus!"Ratchet exclaimed, throwing his servos up in exhasperation.

Optimus caught one of the servos as the came back down to his sides. He flipped it over so that the palm of Ratchet's hand was facing up to the ceiling.

"What are those, Ratchet?"Optimus asked, pointing to parts of his wrist and lower servo.

There were grayed areas all over his wrist and lower servo. His self-repair had mostly fixed them, although the still seemed rather fresh. A few orns to be exact.

"They are none of your concern."Ratchet snapped,trying to jerk his servo from Optimus' hands.

Optimus held him firmly, inspecting the wounds. "You did not get these in battle, I can tell that much. They are too clean and precise."

Optimus let go of the servo and grabbed Ratchet's other one before he could get away. He flipped it over only to find that it also had grayed scabs and half healed wounds. He vented deeply as he suddenly realized what they were from.

"Ratchet, why?"Optimus asked.

"None of your fragging business."Ratchet growled.

"Ratchet, you have been inflicting injurys upon yourself. It is my business to know."Optimus said firmly, almost harshly. "You have been cutting yourself."

Optimus optics darted about the room. He went over to the desk and began to rumage through drawers. It took everything in him to not rip them from the desk and dump them on the floor. Optimus went to the last drawer, and found it locked.

"Ratchet, unlock this."Optimus ordered.

"Get out of my office!"Ratchet exclaimed.

"That is an order from your commanding officer."Optimus rumbled in his deep voice.

Ratchet scoffed. He went over to the desk, and took his time unlocking it. As soon as it had clicked open, Ratchet threw it open. Random data-pads flew about, and landed with thuds on the floor. A soft tinkling noise told Optimus that he had found what he was looking for. He bent down and picked up a small, metalic, silver tube. He slid the a switch on the side of it up, and the blade of a laser scapel slid up. It was splattered with dried, blue energon. The casing itself was covered in energon blood, from the medic no doubt.

"Ratchet."Optimus breathed out. "Why?"

He was not answered. He turned to find Ratchet sitting in one of the chairs that sat before the desk. He had his hands over his face, and he shook and clicked as coolant poured from his optics. Optimus went to his side again, and knelt down next to the chair.

"I havn't done it in orns, Optimus."Ratchet choked out.

"When did you start?"Optimus asked gently.

"Less then a vorn ago."Ratchet managed to say between click.

"Why?"Optimus asked.

"I-I couldn't take it."Ratchet now sobbed. "I couldn't s-stand it an-ny longer."

"What, Ratchet? Stand what?"

"He was gone."Ratchet cried. "I carried him for vorns, and I never got to meet him! What made it worse was that I couldn't even have the Twins with me!"

Optimus didn't say a word as Ratchet continued to rant.

"I begged Primus to take me. I cried out to him every night, begging for him to take me away!"

"We are lucky that Primus did not answer that the way you wanted."Optimus said.

" I couldn't take it, not having my sparkling or the Twins. The pain was the only thing that would take my mind off of it. It would give me a few seconds of sanity, no matter how insane the action was."

Optimus knew that Ratchet was now talking about the cutting.

"It stopped though. Even when I used it; it offered me no relief. I couldn't recharge at night, I couldn't refuel."

"Why didn't you tell anybody?"Optimus asked.

Ratchet shook his helm. "I only saw one way out of the pain and the grief."

"Ratchet-"

"Yes."Ratchet confirmed."I was planning a suicide."

Optimus hung his helm as coolant continued to fall from Ratchet's optics. "When did you have it planned, and what made you stop?"

"I had chosen the day the Neutral base was attacked for my suicide. The attack, obviously put it off until that night. Then we found him." Ratchet breathed out, trying to stop the hitching and clicking coming from him. "He changed everything."

"A gift from Primus."Optimus said.

Ratchet nodded. The medic looked tired, and the sparkling had fellen asleep.

"I have some things to attend to."Optimus said, quickly making up an excuse to leave as it appeared Ratchet wanted to be alone.

"All right."came the tired reply.

"Please, Ratchet."Optimus started before closing the door. "If you ever need to talk about anything, come to somebody before doing something you and we might all regret."


End file.
